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Who Is Jesus? the True Vine

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Who Is Jesus? the True Vine WHO IS JESUS? HIS CONNECTION WITH US Jesus’ Father in heaven gave Jesus to be the life It is delightful during the summer or fall to walk for his people. We depend upon Jesus for our through a vineyard. The leaves are green, and spiritual life, vitality, nutrition and salvation. We huge clusters of grapes are hanging on the depend upon Jesus, just as the branch depends branches. Can you visualize this figure? And of upon the vine for everything. Without Jesus Christ, course, afterwards you get to taste the good wine we are nothing. In Christ we receive grace, that is produced by these vines. forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life. This figure was a common one to see in the land of How is Jesus this life providing vine? The answer is Israel. And in Scripture, Israel as a nation is first found in the “I am” statement. Jesus is the true referred to as a vine planted by God (Psalm 80:8- vine, the source of life, strength, and salvation to 11). When Jesus calls himself the vine, he is his church because he is God. God is the source of WHO IS JESUS? drawing a beautiful picture of himself with his all that we need. church. Jesus is one plant with his people. Jesus is the vine, and his people are the branches. There is Secondly, Jesus is this vine because God planted THE TRUE VINE an intimate connection. We are united to Jesus by his son, Jesus, here in our world. He came in the faith. likeness of men, our sinful flesh as a lowly vine. He bore our sin and guilt and death. But by his “I am the true vine, and my Father is the Jesus could make this comparison because God resurrection, he gives life to us, making us living husbandman…I am the vine, ye are the created the world in such a way that it could point to branches. branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, spiritual truths. So the physical vine is a picture of the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Jesus and his church. Israel in the Old Testament Thirdly, there is, in the figure of the vine, wonderful me ye can do nothing.” was a picture (type) of Christ. Jesus now says, “I fruit. Jesus stresses this in our passage. Jesus is am the true vine.” The other vines were symbols, the One who causes the branches to bear fruit. John 15: 1, 5 but Christ is the perfect fulfilment. Israel as a nation How disappointing it would be if we walked through failed to produce good fruit. Jesus came to be the a vineyard and there was absolutely no fruit, or only perfect, essential, enduring vine of which the others sickly fruit. Six times Jesus mentions bearing fruit or were only a faint reflection. not bearing fruit. Everything depends upon the branches being connected to the vine. Everything JESUS IS THE TRUE VINE depends upon our being connected to Jesus. Jesus The vine with its roots planted in the soil is the is the only power that enables his people to source of life for the branches and the fruit that is produce fruit. That was why Jesus said in verse 3: produced. Jesus is the source of all life for his “now ye are clean through the word which I have church. He gives strength to the church and causes spoken unto you.” Jesus cleanses us and enables her to be productive to his glory. Jesus grants to his us to bring forth good fruit. church all the blessings of salvation. Of ourselves, all that we can produce is sin and As with the physical vine, the branches have evil. The only reason that you and I are able to bear Home missionary, Pastor Audred Spriensma nothing if they are cut off from the vine. They have any fruit that is pleasing to God is because we are to be connected. How are they connected? There is connected to Jesus. He is the source, our strength, a farmer, a vine-dresser. John 15:1 refers to the and our life. All our strength to do good is in Jesus. husbandman. It is he that plants the vine. It is he who cares for the vine. He prunes the vine THE FRUIT THAT IS PRODUCED branches, and grafts other branches into the vine. What is that fruit? Fruit-bearing is mentioned six The branches draw their life from the vine. times in John 11:1-8. It is very important! The fruit is the fruit of faith. It is a live, active faith. It is not the preaching of the gospel. He prunes us merely saying, “I am a Christian,” or “I belong to a sometimes with afflictions, trouble, pain, and church.” It is not just a matter of words. Oh, it is sickness. This is not pleasant, but painful. It is as words. It is confessing Jesus as the Christ, the Son necessary as the surgeon’s knife that cuts out a of God publicly, boldly, without shame. But faith is diseased part of the body. What an important work also a life lived for Jesus. It is a life lived in of God in our lives, making us more productive. obedience to his Word and commandments. It is a godly life of clean speech, pure action, and love for THE NECESSITY OF ABIDING IN JESUS God and our neighbors. Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in Our life will stand out sharply over against the lives the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me of other people in the world who live for (John 15:4).” Jesus is speaking here to his themselves, for sin, and for the devil. We will imitate disciples, saved men. They were in Christ. Jesus is the life and person of Jesus. No fault could be saying to them and to us, “Remain in me. Don’t found in him. His word was truth. Oh, the fruit Jesus sever yourself from me. Look to me and depend produces in us is a holy life. It is daily sorrow for our upon me. sins and turning away from them. We call that “conversion”. It is putting away anger, wrath, Why does Jesus say this? A true branch cannot be malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your severed from Jesus the vine. If not, why is there mouth and not lying to one another (Col. 3:9, 10). this warning? The answer is that by our experience Instead of these, we put on kindness, gentleness, we cut ourselves off from Jesus. It is easy to think humility, meekness, forgiving one another, and love that once we are saved, we can make it on our own (Col. 3:12-14). without Jesus. We think that we are strong and can be fruitful without staying in close fellowship with How important is this fruit? What does God the Christ. How do we do this? We stop praying and vinedresser do? Jesus says that every branch that reading God’s Word. We do not go to worship does not bear fruit, God takes away. These are services to hear the preaching of the Word. We hypocrites in the church who pretend to be cannot produce good works without staying or Christians. They are branches in that they belong to abiding in Jesus. So Jesus calls us to abide in him. the church. They might confess Jesus with their mouth, but produce no fruit. Because they bear no What is involved in abiding in Jesus? Jesus makes fruit, the Father cuts them off. They have no a wonderful promise in vs. 5, “He that abideth in connection to Jesus. This was the case with one of me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much Jesus’ disciples. He was part of the group that fruit…” Jesus abides always with us! But how do we followed Jesus. But he was a thief and betrayed abide in him? In vs. 7 Jesus says, “If ye abide in Jesus. He was cast out! me, and my words abide in you…” It is by the power of his Word that we are saved and it is by the But even true believers who are in Christ need the power of that Word that we abide in him and he is pruning of the Vinedresser. They are real Christians us. Do you keep up with your devotions and Bible who love Jesus and live a holy life. But because we study? Do you faithfully attend a good church are still sinful, so weak, even our best works are where the preaching of the gospel is emphasized? tainted with sin. So the Father works on us and cuts Let Christ’s Word abide in you that he may abide in out the actions that flow from our sinfulness. He you. Then we will be branches, not scrawny purges our hearts and lives so that we will be more branches, but vibrant branches with much fruit! holy and obedient. God prunes us with his Word,.
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